plantain

[ plan-tin, -tn ]

/ ˈplæn tɪn, -tn /

noun

a tropical plant, Musa paradisiaca, of the banana family, resembling the banana.

its fruit, eaten cooked as a staple food in tropical regions.

Nearby words

plant-cutter, planta, planta genista, plantae, plantagenet, plantain, plantain lily, plantain-eater, plantalgia, plantar, plantar arch

Origin of plantain

1545–55; earlier pla(n)tan < Spanish plá(n)tano plantain, also plane tree < Medieval Latin pla(n)tanus, Latin platanus plane³

Definition for plantain (2 of 2)

plantain

[ plan-tin, -tn ]

/ ˈplæn tɪn, -tn /

noun

any plant of the genus Plantago, especially P. major, a weed with large, spreading leaves close to the ground and long, slender spikes of small flowers.

Origin of plantain

1350–1400; Middle English plauntein < Old French plantein < Latin plantāgin- (stem of plantāgō), derivative of planta sole of the foot, literally, something flat and spread out, like the broad leaf of the plantain; akin to Greek platýs flat¹; see platy-

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for plantain

It is a simple Puerto Rican cow's milk cheese called queso de hoja and it is wrapped in a plantain leaf.
A Little Latin Flavor|Sarah Whitman-Salkin|October 21, 2009|DAILY BEAST
With a portion of the milk some plantain fruits are made into a pulp, and given to an Udaya, who throws them into a stream.
Castes and Tribes of Southern India|Edgar Thurston
Here we find the Ostrich, the plantain eaters, the colies and several, other families—nine in all.
Birds and Nature Vol. 9 No. 2 [February 1901]|Various
The corpse is washed and laid on a plantain leaf, and a new cloth is thrown over it.
Castes and Tribes of Southern India|Edgar Thurston

It may be found in April and early May suspended from the lower parts of the stems of the plantain or other plants around.
The Butterflies of the British Isles|Richard South
Now and then, too, we came upon the great pale-green broad leaves of a banana or plantain, which was a perfect treasure.
Bunyip Land|George Manville Fenn

British Dictionary definitions for plantain (1 of 2)

plantain

/ (ˈplæntɪn) /

noun

any of various N temperate plants of the genus Plantago, esp P. major (great plantain), which has a rosette of broad leaves and a slender spike of small greenish flowers: family PlantaginaceaeSee also ribwort

Word Origin for plantain

C14 plauntein, from Old French plantein, from Latin plantāgō, from planta sole of the foot

British Dictionary definitions for plantain (2 of 2)

plantain

/ (ˈplæntɪn) /

noun

a large tropical musaceous plant, Musa paradisiaca

the green-skinned banana-like fruit of this plant, eaten as a staple food in many tropical regions

Word Origin for plantain

C16: from Spanish platano plantain, plane tree

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012